Flooded new bus stand after rains in the aftermath of cyclone Fengal, in Villupuram
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Seven persons belonging to two families, including children, are feared trapped inside a house that was struck by a landslide in the lower slopes of a hill in the temple town of Tiruvannamalai on Sunday night. The landslide is believed to have triggered due to extremely heavy rainfall that lashed the district for the whole of Sunday under the influence of Cyclone Fengal.
District Collector D Baskara Pandian said that it is believed that two couples and their three children are trapped inside the house as they are not traceable. The incident took place on Sunday evening when a landslide struck VOC Nagar located in the foothills of the Annamalaiyar Hills in Tiruvannamalai, damaging several houses.
Since there is a rock just above the houses in the area, the district administration was waiting for the NDRF and SDRF teams to arrive to launch the rescue operations. “There is a huge rock and there are chances of the rock falling on the house if the rescue operation isn’t carried out in the right manner. Several houses near the spot are damaged and we have moved people living there to safety,” Pandian said.
“Seven people are believed to be trapped inside a house, as per information from neighbours. We have not been able to locate them or reach them. Since we believe they could be trapped inside their home, we have launched rescue operations,” he said.